Emesis is a devastating consequence of cytotoxic therapy, radiotherapy, and post-operative environments that drastically affects the quality of life of people undergoing such treatments. In recent years a class of drugs referred to as 5-HT3 (5-hydroxytryptamine) receptor antagonists has been developed that treat such emesis by antagonizing cerebral functions associated with the 5-HT3 receptor. See Drugs Acting on 5-Hydroxytryptamine Receptors: The Lancet Sep. 23, 1989 and references cited therein. Drugs within this class include ondansetron, granisetron, alosetron, tropisetron, and dolasetron. These 5-HT3 antagonists are often administered intravenously shortly before chemotherapy or radiotherapy is initiated, and can be administered more than once during a cycle of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In addition, they are often supplied as tablets or oral elixirs to either supplement an intravenous administration, or to ease home usage of the drug if the patient is self-administering the chemotherapeutic regimen.
Because some chemotherapeutic agents can induce emesis over extended periods of several days even when they are administered only once, it would be desirable to administer an emesis-inhibiting drug such as a 5-HT3 antagonist every day until the risk of emesis has substantially subsided. The present class of 5-HT3 antagonists has not proven especially helpful meeting this need, however, because the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists currently marketed have proven to be less effective in controlling delayed nausea and vomiting than they are at controlling acute emesis. Sabra, K, Choice of a 5HT3 Receptor Antagonist for the Hospital Formulary. EHP, October 1996; 2 (suppl 1):S19-24.
Recently, clinical investigations have been made concerning palonosetron, a new 5-HT3 receptor antagonist reported in U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,333. These investigations have shown that the drug is an order of magnitude more potent than most existing 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, has a surprising half-life of about 40 hours, and is effective to reduce delayed-onset nausea induced by chemotherapeutic agents. However, formulating palonosetron in liquid formulations has not proven an easy task, typically due to shelf-stability issues. U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,333 discloses an intravenous formulation of palonosetron in example 13 that contains the following ingredients:
IngredientMgPalonosetron HCI10-100mg.Dextrose Monohydrateq.s. to make IsotonicCitric Acid Monohydrate1.05mg.Sodium Hydroxide0.18mg.WFJTo 1.0ml.
The formulation has a pH of 3.7 and a shelf stability of less than the 1-2 year time period required by health authorities in various countries.
Ondansetron, its uses, and medicaments made with ondansetron are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,695,578, 4,753,789, 4,929,632, 5,240,954, 5,344,658, 5,578,628, 5,578,632, 5,922,749, 5,622,720, 5,955,488, and 6,063,802. Commercially it is distributed by GlaxoSmithKline as Zofran® and is indicated for prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), cancer chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), and radiotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (RINV) and it is available as an injection, tablets and solution, and as Zofran ODT® (ondansetron) Orally Disintegrating Tablets.
Granisetron, its uses, and medicaments made with granisetron are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,886,808, 4,937,247, 5,034,398 and 6,294,548. Commercially it is distributed by Roche Laboratories Inc. as Kytril®, indicated for the prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and is offered in tablet form, oral solution, and as an injection.
Alosetron, its uses, and medicaments made with alosetron are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,360,800 and 6,284,770. Commercially it is distributed by GlaxoSmithKline as Lotronex®.
Tropisetron is commercially available as Navoban® (Novartis) CAS-89565-68-4 (tropisetron); CAS-105826-92-4 (tropisetron hydrochloride) and it is indicated for treatment of PONV and CINV.
Dolasetron, its uses, and medicaments made with ondansetron are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,011,846, and 4,906,755. Commercially it is distributed by Aventis Pharmaceuticals Inc. as Anzemet®, indicated for prevention of both PONV and CINV, and it is offered in the form of a tablet or an intravenous solution.
Therefore, there exists a need for a palonosetron formulation with increased stability and thereby increased shelf life. There also exists a need for an appropriate range of concentrations for both the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist and its pharmaceutically acceptable carriers that would facilitate making a formulation with this increased stability.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a formulation of Palonosetron hydrochloride with increased pharmaceutical stability for preventing and/or reducing emesis.
It is another object of the invention to provide an acceptable range of concentrations which will stabilize a formulation containing Palonosetron hydrochloride.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a formulation of Palonosetron which would allow for prolonged storage.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a formulation of Palonosetron which would allow terminal sterilization.